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Topic: Pawan's Tennis Journal (Read 68704 times)

Great to have a friend like that to hit with. There can be disadvantages but you can also still work on the things you need to hitting with anyone. Things like proper footwork and eyes on the ball and such!

I wish I could find a friend who was as into tennis as I have been. As you get older it becomes more difficult. Life intervenes. Family, job, responsibilities, aches and pains, golf. Tennis takes more and more of a back seat.

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Is a tree as a rocking horseAn ambition fulfilledAnd is the sawdust jealous?I worry about these things .Kevin Godley & Lol Crème (I Pity Inanimate Objects)

I wish I could find a friend who was as into tennis as I have been. As you get older it becomes more difficult. Life intervenes. Family, job, responsibilities, aches and pains, golf. Tennis takes more and more of a back seat.

Ever so painfully true! Its a good thing I have some tennis obsessed friends to slug with!

I wish I could find a friend who was as into tennis as I have been. As you get older it becomes more difficult. Life intervenes. Family, job, responsibilities, aches and pains, golf. Tennis takes more and more of a back seat.

Ever so painfully true! Its a good thing I have some tennis obsessed friends to slug with!

Nooooo!!!!

As it is.. I haven't played in sooo sooo long.

A few days from now I'll be here and my writing will be something like

"... so I found this strange little game,, its played with a stick and on a little coloured rectangle with a net in the middle and you hit a ball or something.. I think is called Tan.. Tens something like that. I have a vague recollection, maybe a dream or something of me playing but I am not sure. It sure does look interesting, maybe I should try it... so what are the rules??.. "

Yeah. So I played this morning for 2 hours before work at 9. Nice to be playing again. I won 6-1 6-2 6-2. My friend said I was playing well but I thought it was just a matter of him making the mistakes, although I am surprised he didn't pick up his form at the end of second set slash begining third as he usually does.

No complaints with my game. Actually one. So you know how I have two different racquets strung right now. One's been played with a lot and the strings are almost breaking and the other is pretty new. they are both initially strung at 62 crosses and mains. Now the one that's almost breaking - I can feel my shots, I can feel my serves, I can feel it when I hit hard or when I hit soft. the other one which i have been playing wtih the past two three times and intend to play with for the most time during summer, I can't. I didn't notice this before so maybe its just a freshly strung string thing. But I don't like it. BUT, my friend said my forehands were actually harder with this fresh one - and I thought I was just pushing it back because I feel out of control when I try to hit harder. He didn't say anything about my serve but again, I can't really do a first serve without it going way out - again, maybe its just my feel? I can definitely do it with my other racquet - I can feel everything and do what I want. That's it.

On the bright side, having not played for yet another two weeks, I felt very comfortable with my forehand, backhand groundstrokes. I volleyed quite a bit today and tried chipping and charging a lot.A thing about my chip and charge, you know how you are supposed to chip deep and then charge? well all my successfull net rushes were with chips that were almsot drop shots. And my friend told me thats what messed him up. I wasn't as successful with serve and volleys and deep approach shots as I was with this almost drop shot and charge.

My serve was solid and consistent -my second serve that is, I stuck to doing only second serves the whole time as, again with the racquet and also just because I want to focus this summer on building a strong second serve, keyword being strong. I tried doing first serves halfway through the second set. And as you know, i am a little obsessive when doing things and I keep doing them until I got them - especially something like this which I know I should be doing anyway. But it didn't work, hence the reason of the 5 games that he won, 3 of them were my service games.

Anyway, I am back to playing regularly now. So I won't have such long updates, just short score and anything specail things more often. I'll also get back to reading others' journals. I actually like reading your journals and have learnt quite a good deal from some of you like whenever you write like I do. You get me thinking and that leads to good stuff. So i want to get back to that and posting more often on here.Ok That's all Folks!

Yeah. So I played this morning for 2 hours before work at 9. Nice to be playing again. I won 6-1 6-2 6-2. My friend said I was playing well but I thought it was just a matter of him making the mistakes, although I am surprised he didn't pick up his form at the end of second set slash begining third as he usually does.

No complaints with my game. Actually one. So you know how I have two different racquets strung right now. One's been played with a lot and the strings are almost breaking and the other is pretty new. they are both initially strung at 62 crosses and mains. Now the one that's almost breaking - I can feel my shots, I can feel my serves, I can feel it when I hit hard or when I hit soft. the other one which i have been playing wtih the past two three times and intend to play with for the most time during summer, I can't. I didn't notice this before so maybe its just a freshly strung string thing. But I don't like it. BUT, my friend said my forehands were actually harder with this fresh one - and I thought I was just pushing it back because I feel out of control when I try to hit harder. He didn't say anything about my serve but again, I can't really do a first serve without it going way out - again, maybe its just my feel? I can definitely do it with my other racquet - I can feel everything and do what I want. That's it.

On the bright side, having not played for yet another two weeks, I felt very comfortable with my forehand, backhand groundstrokes. I volleyed quite a bit today and tried chipping and charging a lot.A thing about my chip and charge, you know how you are supposed to chip deep and then charge? well all my successfull net rushes were with chips that were almsot drop shots. And my friend told me thats what messed him up. I wasn't as successful with serve and volleys and deep approach shots as I was with this almost drop shot and charge.

My serve was solid and consistent -my second serve that is, I stuck to doing only second serves the whole time as, again with the racquet and also just because I want to focus this summer on building a strong second serve, keyword being strong. I tried doing first serves halfway through the second set. And as you know, i am a little obsessive when doing things and I keep doing them until I got them - especially something like this which I know I should be doing anyway. But it didn't work, hence the reason of the 5 games that he won, 3 of them were my service games.

Anyway, I am back to playing regularly now. So I won't have such long updates, just short score and anything specail things more often. I'll also get back to reading others' journals. I actually like reading your journals and have learnt quite a good deal from some of you like whenever you write like I do. You get me thinking and that leads to good stuff. So i want to get back to that and posting more often on here.Ok That's all Folks!

Any updates on the USTA angle of things? Hopefully you're gonna be on a team soon?

Yes. I was browsing through the site more and I am going to be doing something soon. I'll let you know as soon as I sign up for the team - there's apparently just a number?

Also #1federerfan, I am probably not fit enough to play a real deal 5 setter. Not to say I can't but I'll probably be on the bed for a whole day. We weren't planning on 3 sets today, it was just as much as we could before 8 cuz I had work at 9. You can tell from the scoreline It wasn't too intensive for too long, the intensity whenever it came didn't last long. We have played high quality 3 hour matches before but I'd be outright scared right now to play 5 competitive sets.

Played yesterday evening, won 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Most annoying moment was getting broken serving at 5-0 in the first set in what I thought was my best service game so far. I decided summer was here and I need to start playing seriously so I turned on my first serves and I am completely satisfied - they are back in full form so watch out! Which will make every break all the more painful henceforth The match was actually much more intense than the scoreline suggests.

I played this morning again. Again my serves were solid. My second serves are getting stronger and my backhand is sweeeet. We played 3 real sets and one pro-set although the pro-set format only came into affect once to my friend's benefit. 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 and the pro-set 6-3. I didn't really think about who got broken and stuff in the pro-set because we were under time pressure and had to play fast, no water breaks and going for the big shots. Surprisingly it produced the best tennis I thought, at least for me and even for my friend.

Played yesterday evening, won 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Most annoying moment was getting broken serving at 5-0 in the first set in what I thought was my best service game so far. I decided summer was here and I need to start playing seriously so I turned on my first serves and I am completely satisfied - they are back in full form so watch out! Which will make every break all the more painful henceforth The match was actually much more intense than the scoreline suggests.

I played this morning again. Again my serves were solid. My second serves are getting stronger and my backhand is sweeeet. We played 3 real sets and one pro-set although the pro-set format only came into affect once to my friend's benefit. 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 and the pro-set 6-3. I didn't really think about who got broken and stuff in the pro-set because we were under time pressure and had to play fast, no water breaks and going for the big shots. Surprisingly it produced the best tennis I thought, at least for me and even for my friend.

I don't know what happens to my friend, sometimes he just like stops playing tennis right in the middle of the matches. The first set and a half was the only thing I considered today realy tennis on the whole court. After that he just died. But I must point out, usually when his game dies off and he becomes lazy, I follow suit and my game does the same - I am sure you guys have felt that before too - better the opponent better you play. But I kept my game on fire the whole way through and even when he was not doing anything, i kept my serves and my shots solid. That was a goal of mine and I am happy. I don't want to my intensity to automatically 'adjust' based on my opponent. scoreline: 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-0.

I have been going for bigger and bigger second serves quite successfully now, i have been feeling my serves much much more. My friend's been drastically changing his position for the return of my serve to return it better so now I have also had more aces and more service returns but when my serve is anything but the widest or the down the T est, he gets them back better. My backhand's getting better and better and I am getting real backhand winners - like not the down the line passing shots and stuff I have been doing for long, like just in a rally cross court winners.

Three sets today. I decided if I came out firing, he loses his motivation and the game becomes dull so I stuck to second serves, not so big forehands for the first set. I didn't intend to lose it but I ended up losing, being broken a few times. Second set I stepped it up a bit and he went downhill. Third set, we moved to another court by request and since all the courts were full and we were fully into it and .. it was just a good atmosphere to play and we played a solid set. One of the best so far this summer for sure. Excpet when it came to serving out for the match at 5-3, he lost the game after being up 40-0. talk about handling pressure. I broke him again while he was serving to stay in the set on my first mp. I'm happy with the scores and very happy with my game.scoreline: 5-7, 6-1, 7-5

Three sets today. I decided if I came out firing, he loses his motivation and the game becomes dull so I stuck to second serves, not so big forehands for the first set. I didn't intend to lose it but I ended up losing, being broken a few times. Second set I stepped it up a bit and he went downhill. Third set, we moved to another court by request and since all the courts were full and we were fully into it and .. it was just a good atmosphere to play and we played a solid set. One of the best so far this summer for sure. Excpet when it came to serving out for the match at 5-3, he lost the game after being up 40-0. talk about handling pressure. I broke him again while he was serving to stay in the set on my first mp. I'm happy with the scores and very happy with my game.scoreline: 5-7, 6-1, 7-5

Nice win, and great comeback at the end. Was it you playing better or him 'not handling the pressure'?

Good stuff Pawan, nice to see some results lately and seemingly quite positive ones for you.

Well you see - I have been playing with this kid for years now, and he has only recently managed to take a few sets off me - I'd say he's won about 10 sets off me so far and 7 of them this year. I personally don't like this. When he plays his best and his serves are on he's a great opponent and I am fully pushed to my max and need to bring my all out to win. But I don't like how this happens so so so less often. As I said its much better this year as he is taking a lot more games from me and pushing me more than previous years but still, I'd prefer he playd at least 85% plus everytime like I am willing to and try to do everytime. He would be pretty good if he did that and improve much faster. Not to mention win a lot more sets. It seems he's forever 'learning' the proper serve, the proper footwork the proper backhand - don't get me wrong everyone's always learning but when you are playing a match you gotta play. Not try new things and then when you are down just giving up or try even more things. His serve is a beast and so is his forehand but they are very rarely on. So.. yeah. I don't know what the point of this post was.. I guess I just wanted to calrify to you that I am not exactly going through exhilirating tennis to get my results all the time. When he does play good tennis I do point it out though.

But I am playing more often and he is improving and I am improving so its a good thing for all of us.

So last time we played it was service practice. Today it was volley drills. Person A holds three tennis balls ready, feeds it cross court to player B, B hits an approach shot down the line and comes in at which point A feeds the second ball - B half volleys or does a set up volley and once A feeds the third ball, B should be at the net to finish the point. It was good except we didn't get to play more sets. I won 6-4 the only set we played and again this is disappointing for him because .. oh and this is day before yesterday's story. I went out in the evening to hit with my dad (for all of 5 minutes because thats about how long my dad can play usually) and I was "warmed up" in that I was active but my muscles weren't really warmed up, I don't warm up against my dad because I just punch the ball back for him to be able to hit a few back. But when it came to service I was in full flow and wanted to kill one, and the very first serve I went for a good one and i think i pulled a muscle or something. We didn't play yesterday but at work I realized there was still pain while lifting heavy stuff and today while serving I really couldn't serve at all. I just got the ball over with whatever power my legs could provide placed where I want. So its sad that he also had to play again to my level and lose to me again, if he had played anything like he has been past few days it would have been 6-0 him no doubt.

So don't ever ever ever play without warming up completely. I just learnt that.

Also, I think my frame cracked. I was going to take a picture and show you all but maybe tommorrow I will. But one of the shots I just felt like the strings broke but they didn't. Later I saw that at the top of the frame, on the underside there's a crack. Is this the end of my tennis racquet's life? Its not a top class racquet, and it was my first ever racquet so its been 5 years plus now. and.. (oops) the string tension is recomended 50-60 but I have strung it at 62 last two times. I don't abuse my racquets, I have never in fact voluntarily thrown my racquet in frustration or anything, the only time the racquet drops to the ground is when it slips and such. Some volleys and backhand slices naturally hit the ground sometimes but thats it.

If the crack is very small it might be okay, it could also get bigger the next times out. Keep an eye on it but don't let thinking about it affect your play. If it starts to get bigger it likely will be the end of that racquet. Hopefully for you, it will remain very minor.

Racquets do get weaker over time. Especially after mulitiple stringings. That's a lot of stress to put on the frame.You can play with a cracked frame, but it will get worse over time, and a good stringer won't string it. That is to say they won't string it with out a disclaimer that if/when it snaps you won't ask for a replacement. When a frame goes though, it sometimes throws shards around and can be a bit dicey.There is the possibility that the crack is only in the paint and that's no big deal, but if you heard it crack, it doesn't sound like that is the case.

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Is a tree as a rocking horseAn ambition fulfilledAnd is the sawdust jealous?I worry about these things .Kevin Godley & Lol Crème (I Pity Inanimate Objects)